


History Lesson

by Rakath



Category: Degrassi, Degrassi: Next Class
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-16
Updated: 2018-10-16
Packaged: 2019-08-03 00:35:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,839
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16315718
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rakath/pseuds/Rakath
Summary: A pair of girlfriends discussing past events.





	History Lesson

Frankie wasn’t asleep like she wished to be.

She should be, classes were fine, her girlfriend was in bed with her. She liked this, the comfort of her apartment, how college worked out for her and her friends. The new friends they made since getting out of Degrassi. Today was amazing. But here she was, not asleep.

Her mind trying to work out a problem she hadn’t quite named.

“You’re still awake, is something wrong?”

Frankie played with Lola’s frosty blue hair, she hadn’t meant to wake her. She hadn’t done anything to wake her, but Lola’s never been hard to wake up, “I dunno. Just- is there something up between you and my brother? You’ve been sort of off since he got back from England.”

There was a hesitation, Lola didn’t answer as quickly as she did when she was fully forthright, “I don’t like his beard, he looks all old and tired.”

“Lo-” Frankie paused, considering a moment. “That isn’t it, what’s wrong?”

*** One Year Ago ***

Lola slammed the door shut as she came back to the apartment. Frankie glanced over at a clock before looking to the door, “You’re home early, how bad?”

“She didn’t think we had to tip the server, and said ‘wetbacks belong on the other side of a wall.’” Lola said the words then fell face first into a pillow and screamed, leaving only her forest green hair to be seen.

“Ouch. She didn’t realize you were-”

“Reasonable and not terrible? I think she just wanted in my pants.” Lola stopped, “Didn’t you have a date?”

“Fake date.” Frankie scrolled through her phone, letting her unhappiness bubble up as she spoke, “His parents wouldn’t approve of his real girlfriend, I was there to pick him up and drop him off in the morning. I wish I had a date, but the last guy was just in it for my dad.”

“Good, you could do better than him.”

“You say that every time. You just think too highly of me.”

“Not true! You just need someone good so you don’t go nuts again like with Jonah. Or Winston.” Lola sat up, “If they treated you better you wouldn’t have gotten so weird.”

“What, like you?”

“Well… I mean- if you were into girls, yes.” Lola was studying Frankie as she said this, it was more ‘statement of fact’ than ‘declaration of love.’ “What?”

“I’m bi, Lola. Like you. How did you miss this?”

“Um, you never told me? And you’re always going out with boys?”

“Except Esme.”

“…I thought that was about Zig?”

Frankie smiled, in spite of herself, “No, it was about Esme and Zig. Plus I’ve had a few girls in my past. I just don’t feel the need to tell my friends about all of my booty calls.”

“If you don’t tell me, how am I suppose to know?”

Frankie didn’t answer with the obvious, Lola wasn’t suppose to know. And instead just joined her on the sofa with a hug. “You’d really date me?”

“Um, sorta?” Lola took a breath to try and center herself, Frankie had seen it numerous time. Lola didn’t know how to say what she was thinking. “Not like, trying our best to impress and show off. But like- couples yoga and dancing? Like- married dating?”

Frankie smiled at that description, it felt very Lola. They were well past the ‘get to know each other’ phase. Honestly Lola’s seen Frankie naked more than anyone she’s ever slept with. There was something Lola wasn’t saying, some reason she had to phrase it like that. “So long as we go out to dinner sometimes, and dress up. But the rest sounds good.”

“So… what now?”

Frankie considered, “We order take-out and make-out until it arrives?”

Lola smiled.

*** Back to the Present ***

“It’s just- I told you once and you didn’t believe me and I thought about telling you again but I thought it’d just make things weird. And then we started dating. And then we got serious with our dating and now I don’t know how to tell you without it feeling really bad.”

Lola had slipped out of bed and was pacing around the room. This was distracting on a number of levels. For starters Lola was only in a tank top and panties. Second, Lola never got that nervous over anything, Frankie could tell what it was had been big. But it only came back up lately, Lola’d been her normal Lola self for the whole year. “Lo- I promise, I won’t get mad.”

Lola stopped and looked over with a lopsided, tired look. It said ‘you say that and then get mad.’

“I’ll try not to be mad. What are you even talking about, when did it happen?”

“Back at Degrassi? Junior year.”

“Lola, what could possibly have happened five years ago that would have- you- so…” Frankie stopped mid thought as her mind pieced together enough. A horrible thought she hated, a thing Lola had said and she dismissed. Something so terrible that now it could still make her mad. “…You slept with Miles.”

It wasn’t a question, it wasn’t an accusation, it was just what made sense. Lola never told them who the father was. She’d never told Yael, or Saad, she always brushed off the question with ‘it’s not like it matters anymore’ or ‘that was forever ago.’ Lola’s response was to slide down the wall, in a little corner between the door to the living room, and the closet.

“Why?”

“Why I did it, or never-”

“You didn’t tell me because you fucked my brother. Why did you?”

Lola was quiet for a moment, looking miserable and hurt and unsure of how to answer.

A long enough moment for Frankie to remember, Lola had told her. Frankie just dismissed it.

“You and Shay ditched me.”

Frankie started to talk, stopped, realized she didn’t have enough to say anything, and changed gears, “What?”

“You and Shay had been so- deep, in it with your boyfriends. You were so happy for Shay dating Tiny. You both had just drifted further away from me. You kept doing things I couldn’t do, cause you kept including my ex. Like that wouldn’t hurt.”

Frankie took this in, it- was sorta her deal, she was messed up on Jonah. So sure it was love, so sure it mattered, so sure it was real she did everything to keep it. And having another couple to do stuff with was just- nice. Plus Shay and Tiny were so cute and how could she possibly not love them together.

“And- then we finally had a night, the three of us, old times. No boyfriends, until you invited them without telling me.”

“Oh god…” Frankie hadn’t realized where this ride was going, what the roller coaster was, or what sort of loop she’d be thrown for. And here it was, that night. The end of her and Jonah. The night Shay was so messed up by Esme she attacked Tiny and Lola over the idea they might have had sex. The night she set her room on fire, and-

And Lola didn’t sleep with them. “…Lola…”

“Miles and I weren’t supposed to be anything, he was the one person who would listen to me about Tiny. And I would help him about Tris. And then- well, we were in his bedroom. Working on his play, about me. And Tris. And him. And working on how to express what all of that crazy shit was. And- well-”

“And you two slept together,” Honestly the only reason Frankie couldn’t see it is she didn’t want to. It was right there, the whole time, Lola’s tastes at the time ran tortured and hurt. Saad, later Yael, Lola’s type in high school was always in need of love more than just lust. “And we spent so much time shaming you over getting pregnant, you didn’t think you could tell us.”

Lola nodded.

Frankie walked over and sat next to Lola, there wasn’t anything for her to lean against so it wasn’t comfortable, but she wrapped an arm around her girlfriend. “What about us?”

“Once you stopped putting skunk stripes in your hair, or going crazy because of Jonah you were really sexy.”

Not at all what Frankie was asking, “No, I mean- was it just because you couldn’t have him?”

Lola looked horrified, “Never! Miles and I- what we had was, it ended there. It ended when he couldn’t see I needed him. Liking you is because you’re sweet, and you call me out when I’m over the top. Even if I don’t listen. And don’t get mad when I buy a million new colors of make-up to match my hair and take over the bathroom.”

Frankie laughed, not out loud, it was just the most Lola her girlfriend had been all night. She kissed her, “But… why now, what made this come back.”

“I just-” Lola flopped over into Frankie’s lap. Laying her head on Frankie’s thigh. “Seeing him reminded me that you didn’t know. Even if I told you, once, and you brushed it off. That I just kinda buried this part of me, from you, when- like- I.”

Frankie watched, again unsure of where this ride was going.

“I love you. And the idea that this might- like, ruin it.”

Three words. Lola never said them- okay, unture, she said them when Frankie brought home pizza. And in Spanish, in bed, while they were doing certain activities. And when letting her have the last of the candy cane ice cream. But never in a situation where Lola couldn’t play the words off, bury them under her absurdity. She used to say it all the time, but that wasn’t when they were a thing, just a thing Lola said to her friends. She just- she said it.

And Frankie had never realized how much she missed those words. Frankie’s hand cupped Lola’s face, “I love you too. I’m sorry you couldn’t just tell me this, or that I couldn’t listen. We were really messed up in high school.”

Lola nodded, which felt weird in Frankie’s lap. “So, anything else, have you and Miles talked?”

Lola squirmed, “A little, off and on, at first it was just because he knew me. Then I kinda- you know, had to tell him. About us. And to tell him I think he’s cute with his current girlfriend.”

Frankie sighed, “He got back with Maya didn’t he.”

“Like, I think they had sex the same night he came back to Toronto. You couldn’t tell when we saw him the next day?”

“I don’t think about it, he’s my brother. Let’s just change the subject, what now?”

Lola considered a moment, sat up and straddled Frankie, pinning her to the floor. “We reheat some leftover take-out and make out until it’s ready?”

Frankie laughed, pressing forward to catch Lola with a kiss, “I guess it’s late enough for a midnight snack. Get off of me, for right now.”

**Author's Note:**

> So like a million years ago someone requested Frankie finally figuring out Lola and Miles happened.
> 
> I am fairly certain this is NOT what they wanted at all. But, counterpoint, I wanted to write Frankie/Lola so here we are.
> 
> Honestly this is an idea that I've really wanted to write but I wasn't sure how to frame it/write it until now.


End file.
